Chapter 8
Dead Mount Death Play #08 is the eighth chapter of the Dead Mount Death Play manga, and the last chapter of Volume 1. Summary While members of Materials Compiling Group No.3 bustle about Shinjuku Police Station in the wake of the Shakuzawa Building fire and Lemmings incidents, two station employees discuss Lemmings' jack-of-all trades troublemaking over the last five years and the urban legend status he has acquired among the youth. The older of the two men claims that he once saw Lemmings in person; as he and his younger colleague unknowingly pass Lemmmings himself in the hallway, he describes an incident in which Lemmings withstood a barrage of semi-automatic gunfire before breaking the shooting gang members' necks. The two men enter an elevator - nearby, Fumiko Yamada hurries into a room with a first aid kit - and the younger man asks what Lemmings is really like (having assumed the story was one of the urban legends). His colleague clarifies that the assault he just described was the one he personally witnessed, and the younger man is quite unnerved that their jurisdiction allowed Lemmings to go unchecked. Meanwhile, as Aikawa and Yamada are shepherding Kozaburo Arase out of a room, Aikawa senses something off and turns to look behind her. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she shrugs the feeling off and turns around - away from Lemmings standing silent at her back. Once Aikawa and the others are gone, Lemmings approaches the nearby desk atop which Aikawa left a file and photograph pertaining to the 'human knots' incident. Once the elevator reaches the ground floor, the older male colleague acknowledges that as much as he would like to haul in Lemmings, Lemmings is under Comps-3 jurisdiction. As he and his younger colleague leave the station, he remarks that as eccentric as Comps-3 manager Inspector Tsubaki Iwanome can be, he has a lot of spirit going for him. Over in Clarissa's Bar, a tipsy-to drunk Iwanome enjoys the company of two waitressing '"bunnies' while Clarissa Kuraki and another bartender look on. The bartender wonders why Iwanome came at all, and Clarissa remembers what happened half an hour before; she had offered Iwanome a drink due to him being late. Though he initially refused, he changed his mind when she said the drink - a high-grade alcohol priced at 60,000 yen per glass - was on the house. In the present, she says that Iwanoome probably came to interview them, since that is all he can presently due without a warrant. Over at his booth, Iwanome bangs his head against the table and demands that 'Lisa' 'tell it to him straight." Hiccuping, he continues that he knows that she is involved with troublemakers - specifically, he believes that the Grim Reaper is a part of her clan, rather than Lemmings or the Fire-Breathing Bug. The 'bunnies' on either side of him make light of Lemmings' and the Grim Reapers' names, but Iwanome insists that Lemmings is bad news; he claims that he was terrified when Lemmings broke through a thirty-strong police riot squad, and, after an 'oops', asks those present to not disclose what he said to the media. Over at the bar, the male bartender expresses concern over how freely Iwanome seems to be divulging Shinjuku Station's secrets - but Clarissa reminds him that whatever happens in her club stays confined to the club. In fact, she suspects Iwanome knows this full well and is only baiting her; over at the booth, a knowing, decidedly more sober-looking smile graces Iwanome's face before he returns to tipsy merry-making. While Iwanome fools around, two of Clarissa's more prominent subordinates quietly discuss the possibility of a new local troublemaker in light of the skeleton sightings. The blonde is adamant that they cannot have Iwanome investigating them; the brunette, agreeing, adds that they ought to warn 'Polka" and the others as well. Much to the two women's chagrin, "Polka Shinoyama" (in reality the Corpse God, with the real Polka Shinoyama in his hood) and Misaki Sakimiya walk into the bar not a moment later and (in Misaki's case) loudly announce their presence to Clarissa. Iwanome comments on Misaki's underage appearance, but she assures him that she is only going to order milk. As she and 'Polka' go consult a menu at the bar, Iwanome receive a text from Arase which describes the appearance of someone he/they now believe is connected to the 'human knots' case. Iwanome glances up at Misaki and 'Polka,' fires off a return text, and then offers to buy Misaki juice in exchange for information on the latest trends among the Youth. Meanwhile, Takumi Kuruya notices Arase leaving the police station via live footage of the station's front entrance. When he realizes that Arase is heading in the direction of Clarissa's place, he accidentally spills his coffee in the alarm of the moment; thus distracted, he misses Lemmings scaling the exterior of the bar's building in a separate video feed. Inside the bar, Misaki is busy regaling a beatific Iwanome and blank-faced "Polka' with a tale of her friend Hagane. "Polka" is more interested in his unfamiliar but tantalizingly tasty drink than the story; however, he snaps to attention when Takumi contacts him via his wireless earpiece. Takumi urges him to leave the bar via the back door if he is there, but the warning comes too late; Arase and several policemen in suits stride into the bar as if they own the place. When the bouncers obstruct his path, he assures them that he and his men are customers - "at least...for now." Clarissa instructs the bouncers to let the men pass as Arase already has a friend - Iwanome - on the premises. Arase notes Clarissa's wiles before making his way over to Iwanome (who is laughing and waving from where he is sat next to Misaki and "Polka") and admits surprise at seeing Iwanome already with 'them' already. Iwanome congratulates himself for his sharp thinking as he pats Misaki on the back, but her smile slips when he slyly asks, 'Right? Little lady?" Then, she dramatically cries out that Arase must be the same man who tried to assault her earlier, an accusation which startles the customers at a nearby table. Arase flatly denies the accusation; with Arase finally present, Iwanome drops the pretense and asks Misaki if they - as on-duty government officials - can ask her a few questions. Before she can reply, Lemmings cuts the lights and plunges the room into darkness. Faced with immediate suspicion from Iwanome, Clarissa truthfully states that her people are not responsible for the power outage. "Polka," meanwhile, agrees with Misaki's suggestion that they use this chance to scarper; after using his Evil Eye and life-force detection spell to determine everyone's positions, he extends Misaki a hand and offers to lead the way. The two crouch-crawl their way out of the booth and onto the open floor, where "Polka' starts looking around for the back door - only to freeze at 'something' on the ceiling. With sweat trickling down his face, he thinks, IF I'm not careful, we'll be in trouble...!" Twin chills run down both Iwanome and Arase's spines at a creaking sound from somewhere within the gloom. Clarissa, however, remains calm and lights a few candles on the bar counter - and the light reveals Lemmings hanging upside-down from the large overhead chandelier. He drops onto a table with a ferocious crash; as he stands, silent and menacing, Arase identifies him as the urban legend Lemmings. Category:Manga Chapters